Pivotal-jaw wrench for turning cylindrical objects having beveled corners



Dec. 9, 1958 E. c. TURNER 2,363,349

PIVOTAL-JAW WRENCH FOR TURNING CYLINDRICAL OBJECTS HAVING BEVELED CORNERS Filed Oct. 25, 1954 2 Sheets-Shet 1 ERlc CLIFFORD mgr/ER Dec. 9, 1958 E. c. TURNER 2,363,349

PIVQTAL-JAW WRENCH FOR TURNING CYLINDRICAL BEVELED CORNERS OBJECTS HAVING 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed 001;. 25, 1954 //v VENTOR. EK/c CLIFFOKU FRI/F4 LAX/$4 United States Fatent Ofifice 2,863,349 Patented Dec. 9, 1958 PIVOTAL-JAW WRENCH FOR TURNING CYLIN- DRICAL OBJECTS HAVING BEVELED CORNERS EricClitford Turner, Hampton, England Application October 25,1954, Serial No. 464,538

1 Claim. (Cl. 81-99) This invention relates to beveled cylindrical devices 15 which require to be rotated in either direction for the purpose of effecting adjustment, for example, items such as union nuts, screw closures and like devices.

Cylindrical nuts, as at present constructed, are provided with flats, holes, lugs, grooves and so forth, whereby .a tool can be engaged to effect a positive purchase on the nut. Apart from the expense involved in making such nuts, the holes, recesses and the like, harbour dirt and if a correct tool is not immediately available, something such as a hammer or mallet and a chisel or like tool is often resorted to and the nut is damaged. Much treatment of this kind reduces the life of the nut and meanwhile it is unsightly or dangerous from burrs or sharp edges. Other devices require rotation for the purpose of adjustment, for example a flange coupled to a rotatable part, in which case the component need not be threaded and the term rotatable element is to be deemed t apply to any part requiring occasional rotation for tightening parts together or for simple rotational adjustment.

An object of the invention is to provide a tool for turning a rotatable element, the periphery of which is a surface of complete revolution about the axis of the element and is without depressions, holes or the like in said surface. The surface, or a part of it, may be a cylindrical surface. This tool, whose construction is more fully described later, has an engaging surface which is shaped to co-operate closely with said surface of the rotatable element, and to engage the same solely by friction.

According to the invention, there is provided a tool for rotating the element, said tool comprising two parts pivoted together and jointly providing a gripping surface adapted to closely embrace the element on an arc exceeding 180 and a lever to urge the free ends of said parts towards one another whereby a frictional gripping engagement adequate to secure rotation of the element is obtained. To this end the element and tool may have coacting beveled and sloping surfaces, respectively.

The tool may comprise an arcuate member whose cross-section and curvature are such as to closely fit the surface of the rotatable element when engaged therewith, the member being pivoted to a lever which has an extension beyond the pivot of similar contour to the arcuate member so that said extension and member together embrace a sufficient arc of the element to afford the desired gripping engagement when pressure is applied to the lever.

The invention will be more fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings in which:

Figure 1 shows a pipe union in plan, parts being broken away and shown in section, the nut whereof is of the type that can be turned by a tool constructed according to the invention.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of a tool, shown in engagement with the nut of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a vertical section of Figure 2 on the line 3-3, but omits the nut.

' beveled surfaces.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary section corresponding to the upper portion of Figure 3, but includes a modified rotatable element, and a modification of the nut-engaging surfaces of the tool.

Referring to Figure 1 of the drawing, 1 and 2 are the neighboring ends of two pipes to be fixed together by a union. The male member 3 of the union is brazed or otherwise fixed to the pipe 2. The member 3 is counterbored at 4 to receive a washer or gasket 5. Above the gasket is a thimble 6 having a flange 7, which is engaged by a flange 8 of a nut 9. The thimble is fixed, as by brazing, to the pipe 1.

The exterior surface of the nut 9 is a surface of complete revolution concentric with the axis of the nut and quite free of notches, holes, depressions, or the like. As shown, its larger diameter is on a cylindrical surface, the ends of the cylinder merging into oppositely sloping A tool, generally indicated by the reference It), Figure 2, is provided for the purpose of rotating the nut 9 and, as seen in Figure 3, the cross section of the tool is of the same shape as that of the exterior of the nut. The tool comprises a handle or lever 11 having a pivot at 12 and an extension or toe l3 beyond the pivot, of the same curvature and section as the nut exterior. This toe may be about 60 in extent from pivot to the free end.

Attached to the pivot 12 is an arcuate member 14 of the same cross-section as that of the exterior of the nut and extending for 180 or less from the pivot to its free end. It cannot have an arc of more than 180 or it could not be put on the nut shown, and it is preferably rather less than this, as shown, for convenience in application to the nut. The curved parts of the tool may be shaped by being bent, cast or otherwise formed to the shape shown, so that the radius of curvature of the various parts of the nut engaging surface is the same as the corresponding radius of the nut. The width of the tool may be the same as the thickness of the nut. Near the pivot 12 the toe is formed to provide a stop 15 to prevent unnecessary Swinging movement of the part 14. The movement of the two parts of the tool must be suflicient to clear the maximum diameter of the nut.

The nut 9 may be made of any suitable material such as metal or plastic or a combination thereof having the required frictional properties, an excellent example being the material known as Tufnol (R. T. M.) which possesses the desired frictional and mechanical properties in a high degree.

If the use of special friction materials is undesirable for any reasons, the friction necessary may be obtained by shaping the parts so that one engages the other by a kind of wedging action. For example, if the apex angle of the oppositely sloping surfaces is made larger, so that the angle E, Figure 3 is increased, or if the axial extent of an interior cylindrical portion of a tool 114' is made smaller than the axial extent of a cylindrical portion of a rotatable element 9' (see Fig. 4) the tool will engage the nut or rotatable element by a wedging movement and by choosing a sufficiently large angle for B, depending on the normal friction between the materials of which nut and tool are made, any suitable gripping engagement between the parts may be obtained.

In use the tool is applied to the nut so that the inner surfacesof the tool closely embraces the nut exterior and as pressure is applied to the lever 11 the toe l3 acts as a fulcrum causing pressure to be exerted on the nut through the pivot 12 and curved part 14, so that the nut is firmly gripped between parts 13 and 14. In this way, the not can be rotated in either direction according to the manner of application of the tool and the grip of the tool is such that a nut may be tightened or loosened thereby in any circumstances.

From the foregoing, it will be seen that the tool can be engaged at any position, which is a great advantage in confined spaces, and that the tool can be ratcheted through quite a small angle if need be. Since the nut can be engaged by the tool in any position, pipes may be run very close together.

-In the construction illustrated, it will be seen that the nut and tool, so far as their cross sections are concerned, may be regarded as male and female members respectively, and it will be readily understood that the sections may be reversed so that a tool substantially of V cross section engages a nut having a similar V groove.

In order to facilitate the gripping engagement between tool and element, the parts 14 and 13 of the tool may be urged or biased towards one another by a spring, for example, a torsion spring associated with the pivot. The movement can be restricted by having a small abutment on the pivot end of part 14 adapted to contact a similar abutment on the stop 15, so that when free the two parts approach under spring pressure to a slight extent, and require a little opening movement to go over the element. Then the spring will provide sufficient initial friction to prevent the tool from slipping round; whereafter the lever pressure will speedily apply the friction necessary for the desired gripping engagement.

The application of the invention to other kinds of rotatable element will be obvious from the foregoing description of the application to a nut. All that is necessary is to shape the tool to suit the contour of the element, that is the contour parallel to the axis of the element.

I claim:

For turning about a turning axis a rotatable object having a cylindrical periphery which merges into oppositely beveled surfaces and which is coaxial with its turning axis, a wrench comprising, in combination, first and second arcuate gripping members each being formed with interior, oppositely sloping arcuate gripping surfaces that complement such beveled surfaces of a rotatable object,

and with an interior cylindrically shaped surface disposed between said gripping surfaces, said interior cylindrically shaped surface having an axial extent smaller than that of such cylindrical periphery of a rotatable object, whereby only said oppositely sloping gripping surfaces contact such rotatable object, said first gripping member having an arcuate length approaching but not exceeding 180 and said second gripping member having an arcuate length at least slightly exceeding the difference between 180 and the arcuate length of said first gripping member, said gripping members being connected to each other at one of their respective ends for movement relative to each other about a pivot axis into and out of an operative position wherein the gripping surfaces of both of said gripping members together form a composite arcuate gripping surface having an arcuate length at least slightly exceeding 180 so that when said gripping members are in their operative position, they may grip such beveled surfaces of a rotatable object throughout an arcuate length at least slightly exceeding 180; and means connected to one of said gripping members at the end thereof nearest said pivot axis for applying thereto, while said gripping members are in their operative position, a turning force about said pivot axis in a direction which will urge said gripping members toward each other, whereby a rotatable object will be clamped between said gripping members and will simultaneously have a force applied thereto which will tend to rotate such object about its turning axis.

I References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

